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The two waited for everyone in the classroom to leave and finished cleaning in about ten minutes. The only thing left was to take out the garbage.
Tsuna walked to the three trash cans in the upper left corner of the classroom, pulled out three bags of garbage of different colors from the three cans, and tied them into noose knots.
"Shouko, you take this bag." Tsuna tested the weight of the three bags, handed the bag marked with non-burnable garbage to Shouko, and took the two heavier ones - burnable garbage and recyclables - himself.
(There should be no need to explain the specific classification of these three types of garbage…)
After Shouko took it, Tsuna put clean bags in the three trash cans again, picked up the two bags of garbage at his feet, and walked out of the classroom with Shouko.
"Hey, hey, hey, do you want to go cycling when you go back?"
When Tsuna and Shouko passed by Class C, they heard an unfamiliar voice. Tsuna turned his head and looked through the window. He saw the hedgehog-headed boy holding a broom, chatting excitedly with the fat and thin boys behind him.
After more than three months at school, he and Shouko still often ran into this hedgehog-haired boy with his unique hairstyle, but they didn't know his name.
"No way, you'll get hurt if you jump off such a high bridge." The chubby boy immediately rejected the hedgehog-haired boy.
The hedgehog-haired boy curled his lips and scoffed, "Tsk… Coward."
The thin boy next to the chubby one laughed and egged him on, "Shouya, you're so brave, why don't you jump first to give us courage?"
"Shouya?" As Tsuna passed the back door of Class C, he heard the thin boy mention the hedgehog-haired boy's name and felt like he was a bit of a show-off, but it wasn't his business.
Then he walked to the garbage dump with Shouko and didn't hear what the hedgehog-haired boy said next.
After putting the garbage in the proper sorting area, the two washed their hands and returned to the classroom to grab Shouko's schoolbag. They passed the three boys who were also taking out the trash.
Once Tsuna checked that Shouko hadn't left anything behind, he took her hand and they walked out of the school.
"It feels like it's going to rain…" Halfway home, Tsuna looked up at the sky. It was sunny when they left the gate, but now dark clouds were gathering overhead.
In the end, they still got soaked on the way back, but luckily, the books in Shouko's backpack didn't get wet.
Shizuka came out of the bathroom and said gently to Shouko, who was sitting at the dining table, "Go in and take a hot shower first. Tsuna, go upstairs and get some clothes."
"Then, Tsuna, you go first." Shouko knew he'd gotten wetter than she did; she'd even used her backpack to cover her head.
Shizuka half-knelt and rubbed Shouko's cheek, chuckling, "What are you two thinking, trying to give way to each other when you're both drenched?"
Shouko was completely thrown off by Shizuka's words; her ears turned red in an instant. She mumbled so softly it was almost inaudible: "Will we shower together…?" The embarrassment made her voice trail off.
"There's an umbrella at the entrance. Take your bath, then come over and play." Shizuka pretended not to hear Shouko's slip, stood up, and spoke gently.
"Oh… okay." Shouko's face flushed even more. While Shizuka wasn't looking, she quickly stood up, grabbed the umbrella at the entrance, and ran out of the Miyamura house, not even noticing Tsuna, who had just come downstairs.
"Shouko, slow down! Why are you running so fast?" Shizuka called after her.
Seeing Shouko rush out without even changing into her slippers, she didn't bother saying what she'd planned and just turned to Tsuna, who was standing there, asking, "Mom, what did you do?"
Shizuka laughed without explaining. She just patted Tsuna's head. "Go take your bath."
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After showering, Shouko came back slowly, holding an umbrella. As soon as she stepped into the living room, she saw Tsuna sitting on the tatami watching TV but didn't see Shizuka.
"Hehe… Tsuna, you smell so good." Shouko came closer with a grin. Instantly, a pleasant scent that wasn't shampoo or soap drifted into her nose.
"Why didn't you blow-dry your hair, Shouko?" Tsuna ignored Shouko's strange comment, turned, and noticed her damp hair. He asked in confusion.
Shouko explained honestly, "The hair dryer at home is broken." She blinked her big eyes at him and said softly, "Tsuna, can you help me dry it?"
Yaeko: How come I didn't know the hair dryer was broken?
"Sure." Tsuna didn't hesitate or suspect anything; he stood up from the tatami and went to get the hair dryer.
He tested a few temperatures with his hand before turning it off. "How about this? Is it okay?" When the dryer was running, it was too loud for Shouko to hear him.
"Yeah!" Shouko sat obediently on the little stool and just nodded, showing it was fine.
She squinted her eyes happily; Tsuna's technique was gentle and skillful. It felt good, with no tugging or discomfort.
"All done. How does it feel?" Tsuna unplugged the hair dryer when he was sure her hair was almost dry.
"Of course, your drying skills are way better than your dad's," Shizuka cut in before Shouko could answer, giving Tsuna a big thumbs-up.
Shouko yawned and said softly, "Yeah… it feels rice."
"Do you have an exam next week?" Shizuka asked when Tsuna put the hair dryer away and came back to the living room.
Tsuna thought for a moment and replied, "I think so. How did you know, Mom?"
Shizuka hugged Shouko into her arms, gently rubbing her face, and answered softly, "Your teacher told me in advance."
"Then why'd you ask me?" Tsuna looked at her speechlessly and went back to watching TV.
"Does Shouko know?" Shizuka lowered her head to ask Shouko.
Shouko was about to answer when Shizuka's phone rang in her pocket. She pulled it out, saw the caller was her husband, and answered immediately.
"Hello? What's wrong, dear?" She put the phone to her ear.
Daisuke's urgent voice came through: "Mom fell at home; she's in the hospital now. Can you go see her? I can't get away yet. I'll come later."
"Okay, okay, don't worry. I'll go right now."
Shizuka hung up, slipped her phone into her pocket, and saw the two kids looking at her worriedly.
"Your grandma's in the hospital. I need to go check on her." Shizuka explained calmly.
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